Vanished: A Nick Heller Novel

This was one of many books that I've read, with Nick Heller finding the answers to solve the problem. But he doesn't always escape with out more than a few bumps and bruises to his body and mind....I especially like that this author doesn't use a lot of characters in his books. And, there isn't a lot of romanticism described in the stories.

Nick is busy with his high-paying job as an investigator, protecting the reputations of the wealthy. While on assignment investigating a missing cargo plane that ends up to be carrying some especially worrisome cargo, Nick's nephew, Gabe, calls and says his mom is in the hospital and the family needs help. Nick drops everything to rush to them. Nick's sister-in-law, Lauren, has been attacked and his estranged brother, Roger, is missing and presumed dead. Nick doesn't like Roger too much, but he loves his family and will do anything to protect them. What starts out as a seemingly mundane, although puzzling, kidnapping turns out to be a dangerous mystery with conspiracy and double-crossing at every turn. Nick may lose everything in the process of helping others.The comparisons to Lee Child's Jack Reacher are inevitable. Nick and Jack are both strong, competent, and compassionate men who usually have to risk their lives to help someone in distress. But Joseph Finder's Nick Heller stands on his own. He has enough swagger and sarcasm to add an edge to his nice-guy interior. He's smart, and he's tough, and he doesn't waste time brooding about his existence. He takes charge and rushes in to danger, even when he knows it's not the logical thing to do.Finder is a gem. His books are always a treat to read, and he has a knack for creating captivating heroes that readers cheer for and like. Vanished is no exception. I could have stayed curled up with this book for a while longer. Vanished is smart and, quite simply, a lot of fun. I look forward to the next in this series and can't wait to see what mess Nick Heller finds himself in the next time around.

Vanished is another good thriller by Joseph Finder. This novel is a Nick Heller mystery, featuring former Special Forces soldier Heller as the main character. I recently read another Nick Heller book (House on Fire) and found it to be very good, so I decided to read more. Vanished has all the elements of a good mystery: action, an exciting plot line, good pacing, and well-written dialogue. If you enjoy reading well-crafted novels with realistic plots and characters, you will enjoy Vanished.

Joseph Finder is one of my favorite authors. I have read all his novels and find each one fascinating with rich characters and exciting story lines.

Joseph Finder is the acknowledged master of the corporate thriller and I enjoyed his earlier books, Power Play and Paranoia. But he seems to have lost some of crackle and pop in this book. The pages keep turning, but the payoff is not great.For one thing, he strays in this book away from a purely corporate world, setting the book in DC and making a fictional version of Blackwater the central corporate entity and mixing politics, kickbacks and mercenaries into the story.One annoying thing, which is difficult to pull off and which doesn't really work here, is switching back and forth from first person to third person in the narration.But the main problem is that the hero, Nick Heller, who is the first person narrator, isn't as interesting as Finder's earlier protagonists. In fact, none of the characters, with the possible exception of Heller's teenage nephew, arouses much sympathy or takes on any real dimension. This may have been true in the earlier books as well, but it was less noticeable then. Several of these characters are simply plot devices garnished with a tell-tale trait that don't really convince. There is no love interest for the hero, who plays protector to his sister-in-law and nephew (his brother is the one who vanished), and no back story for that dimension either.But Nick Heller is of course an ace, an ex-Special Forces, martial arts, all-around know-it-all. For some reason, he kept reminding me of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther character, but without the charming quirks. Finder had better luck with his business types. He can't match Flynn or Balducci or Silva on the op hero. The sister-in-law is a virtual nonentity, and the DC police officer role seems written for Morgan Freeman to play.The plot, too, in contrast to the earlier books, is fairly derivative. There are a couple of twists, but the main line of the plot was never really in doubt. The climax and the denouement are a bit out of sync and both fall flat.In short, if you want to read a book by Joseph Finder, read Power Play and give this one a pass.

Another exciting novel from Mr Finder walking you through some of the dark side of private military contractors. Those contractors are sometimes larger in munger than the military forces themselves in occupied zones. The story also involves complicated financial structures that keep you wondering where the story will lead you to... the fast pace plot will keep you engaged until the last page of the book...

4.6⭐️, only my second book by Mr. Finder. I must of been crazy waiting so long. This was an action, twist and turns thriller. Have to say I did not see that ending coming until close to the end. Even then I had not put together how or why. Looking forward to the next Nick Heller roller coaster ride.

I'm a fan of most of the Reacher novels, so I thought I'd give the Nick Heller series a go. This was slow and laborious.

I read it twice because it’s complex and you always miss essentials first time. Just like Jack Reacher the more you read it the better.

This novel was touted as a product from the “master of the modern thriller” and the introduction of a “most compelling hero” -- Nick Heller. This was no publicity adornment. I can verify it as satisfactory fact. I had been searching for a new series to collect and I came across the nascent Nick Heller series. With two novels read, I proudly acclaim that Nick Heller is a great series. Waiting for the second novel to arrive.VANISHED starts in the famous powerplant of political inrigue – Washington, D.C. Nick’s brother and sister are attacked after a night out on the town. The wife wakes in the hospital up to find that her husband is missing. Their son, Gabe, reaches out for Uncle Nick. As with family crises, Nick rushes to respond.Nick is a former war veteran who has found employment with a large security agency. He is very good at his job, but not violent about it. He enjoys the intellectual battle of wits and not the pitol-play.Nick starts his chase to pick up the breadcrumbs and he brushes against the shadows of some of the power elite. Has his brother been kidnapped? There is no ransom note. Is his brother alive ?In the corridors, corners and shadows of power, Nick chases every clue and overcomes every setback. He does not pursue for another client. This investigation is personal.As he gets closer to a discovery, another hurdle pops up. Instead of being pushed off his trail, Nick becomes more determined and brazenly continues on. Amid all this he discovers that his brother’s family is not the idyllic picture he had assumed they were.Family relations, corporate purchases and private soldier confrontations provide the basis for the novel’s thrills. The author has a talent for teasing the reader’s expectations by shortening the length of the chapters. I relied on the chapter a night but some nights it was impossible to read a single chapter and then put the novel down. Seriously, this is an excellent read.

Torn between three and four stars. I liked the detailed descriptions of place and the supporting characters were well-developed. But Nick Heller comes across as a bit two-dimensional, like a poor man's Jack Reacher or Mitch Rapp, which puts Finder well below Lee Child and Vince Flynn on my list of thriller authors . I did like Vanished well enough to buy the next book in the series.